Improvement in seed-planters



. L. B. FISHER.

Seed-Planter.

Patented Mar. 7, 1854.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER B. FISHER, oF conDvvAfIER, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN sEED-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 10,607, dated March 7, 1854.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, L. B. FISHER, of .Coldwater, in the county of Branch and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Corn-Planters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation ofthe same,reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part ot' this specitication, in which- Figure 1 is'a side elevation of the planter. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on line a' .fr of Fig. 1, through the axis of the driving-wheels.

Similar characters of reference in the several figures denote the same partofthe apparatus.

The object of my invention is to enable the operator so to deposit the several hills as to form right lines across the field, as well as in the direction ofplanting. This has frequently been attempted; butin lmost cases the slipping ofthe wheels and various other causes have rendered the deposition of the grain so irregular in position with respect to the planted portion that the hills are aligned in one direction only, making it impossible'for the farmer to cross-plow the iield in the process of cultivation. I design to furnish an adjustment which shall correct the irregularity ot' deposit during the planting process and render the hills 'at the completion of the operation as correctly aligned in the cross-direction as they are in the direction of planting. The invention consists in making the rim of the wheel which operates the planting arrangement with an opening in its perimeter, and securing the same by rods to lugs of a divided hub, which semi-hubs are movable longitudinally upon the driving-shaft by acombination of levers and screws, hereinafter to be described, so that the separation of the semihubs shall diminish the circumference of the wheel and their union increase it.

In the drawings, A is the frame; B, the handles; C, the driving-shaft, and D and.- E the wheels. The wheel D turns loosely upon the shaft C, and does not affect the planting apparatus, while the portion a b ot' the shaft C, upon which the hub of the wheel E fits, is of a square cross-section,so that the revolution of the said shaft is governed by the rotation ofthe wheel E. The wheel E consists of acut rim,c,having between its extremities an opening, e c', Figs. 1 and 2.' On the interior surface of this rim are the lugs d, attached to which and the lugs f on the semi-hubs H H' are the inclined rods R, running alternately in opposite directions, except at the extremities of the rim o, where there are two rods running to lugs opposite to each other on the semi-hubs H H. Thisv arrangement forms a strong, substantial wheel for rotating the shaft U and governing the planting. The semihubs H H have each a groove, g, in which rest the forks It ot' levers I I,which have their fulcra at t' t" on the horizontal bar O, and their upper extremities inclosing the screw S, as shown inl Fig. 1, each of the rear branches of the upper forks, l, having a small projection, m,\vhich enters the thread ofthe screw S, and as the screw is turned gives the levers I I a motion about their fulcra and causes the semihubs H H to traverse the shaft C. The edges of the levers I I are slotted to admit the scraper P, the arms n of which pass through the levers and are held between the pins p and q,

The operationof my improvement is as follows: The diameter ofthe wheel E being regulated, as above described, to the requiredinterval of dropping, the planter .-is driven the length of the field, depositing the requisite number of hills of grain, and at each revolution of the wheel E leaving a mark made by the opening o e. On the return the planter is started so that the first hills deposited shall be in line with the last hills of the previous course, and as the implement advances the operator will observe the position ot' the marks made by the opening e e with respect to those made during the advance, and when found to deviate materially from alignment he will turn slightly the screw S, so as to separate the semihnbs and diminish the diameter of the wheel when the new marks are 'in advance of the old,

and perform in the reverse manner when they are in rear. In this manner any slight distance gained or lost, which in traversing the length of the [ield would become considerable, is here promptly counteracted during the progress of the planter, and each hill made so as to differ in no important degree from the line of those opposite it in the finished rows.

The scraper l? is arranged so that i ts ed ge shall always pass near the outer surface of the rim c, the pressure of the pins q on the under edges of the arms n raising the scraper as the levers bring the semi-hubs together and expand the wheel, and the pins 17 depressing the scraper as the wheel contracts, thus rendering it seliacting and always in position to relieve the rim from any accumulation of earth. This wheel may be employed in single planters with the samefacility as in the one described, slight in a cross-direction, as herein fully set forth.

2. The scraper P, in combination with the pinsp and q, and levers I and I', arranged and operating substantiallyas described, for preserving a given space between the edge of the scraper and outer surface of the rim ofthe wheel, as herein specified.

In testimony whereofl have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

LUTHER B. FISHER.

Witnesses:

GEO. PATTEN, SAML. GRUBB. 

